Community Contribution - Kldtia - 200 Days into the Web3 Space

How Did I Successfully Transition Into This Industry?

Writes Katia Dean ·

Apr 21

Web3 is an ever evolving space that first drew me in with the ability to constantly learn new things and be an active participant. I noticed a big technology change during the pandemic as more businesses transitioned to online, and web3 blossomed before my eyes. Thus, it was time to use my transferable skills and desires to change my career. In this post, I will share the alpha knowledge you need to get started.

Changing My Mindset

In this journey of finding a new position in the web3 space, I had to unlearn some habits.

These habits included:

- Doing things a certain way due to precedent
- Discouraging innovating thinking
- Collaborating with closed-minded individuals

Once I unlearned these habits, navigating the web3 space became easier. Here are some new habits I embraced:

- Learning that the community is an important aspect
- Being involved in Discord communities such as MetaIntro and other NFT communities
- Embracing my creative thinking
- Strategizing a new job search

Building a Web3 Resume and Digital Portfolio

As I mentioned before, changing your mindset is critical. Therefore, I had to make sure that my resume was web3 friendly and had to create a digital portfolio to show how I contributed to the web3 community.

Here are some aspects I changed to my resume:

- Focused on a creative aspect (used Canva and added an avatar and emojis)
- Added a section for web3 in my situation (being an NFT enthusiast)
- Created a digital portfolio focusing on projects (NFT collection, Codeless Conduct projects, and Proof of Acceptance Protocols (POAP))

Once I made these few changes, I started to attend Twitter Spaces to understand the lingo and participated in a few workshops from Metaintro to get the tea.

Applying to No-Code Positions

Now that I had a web3 resume and digital portfolio, it was time to apply to some positions. Hence, I had to learn additional web3 concepts, such as the basics of blockchain technology and understanding the purpose of an NFT. Some resources I used:

- Whiteboard Crypto
- Earned the following certs for background knowledge through Blockchain Council

- Conducted research on Twitter
- Joined various Discord channels
- Participated in the Codeless Conduct Hackathon
- Accepted into the Odyssey DAO Bootcamp ( and participated as a contributor for the growth area) 4/21- 22 / 5–13–22
- Active member and contributor in the Metaintro Community

Transferable Skills

I have gained a wide range of skills throughout my career, and knowing where these skills aligned is very important for this industry. Here’s a brief overview list of my skills:

Knowledge of the following concepts:

Engineering (Electronic Undergraduate Degree)
Cybersecurity Technology (Master’s degree) — non-technical
Project Management
System Development Lifecycle or Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
Entrepreneurship (Founder of Katia’s Cylife)
Scrum, Agile, and Scaled Agile (SAFe)
Product Management

Finally mastering some black girl magic!

Job Descriptions

On the contrary, to what is “described” for numerous positions, there is still one major problem. The problem is the massive disconnect between the recruiter, the job posting, and what the hiring manager needs for the role.

Since I understand the transferable skills to succeed as a Product Manager, Project Manager, or Program Manager, it’s time to analyze these job posting.

Below are a few job postings I applied for, received an interview, but was led to either the “we decided to go with other candidates” or “the hiring manager said you need some coding” (which was not in the job posting before applying). Note these are not “Technical PM roles” where you actually need to understand some kind of coding language:

Program Manager ( recently changed title to Technical Program Manager)

Common Theme

Regardless of how similar the job posting are, or experience required (etc.), the major issues as stated are the disconnect. I’ve been on numerous interviews and these are the questions I ask to get some clarity (during the recruiter calls):

Is there coding involved, or code reviews? Why do I ask this question since Web 3 is new some companies want you to wear multiple hats. Even though as a PM is the “glue between various stakeholders, and keep projects, or products on track”.
Is this a Technical PM or a non technical PM position? This is important because this allows me to give feedback in the recruiter screen call to make note of updating job posting to list skills that is needed. Maybe this will reduce wasting people time and finding the right people with those skills?

How to Solve This Problem